Key points:

David Boyd spends three quarters of his Centrelink payments on a cramped Sydney apartment

Cost of living is a big issue ahead of next month's NSW election

There are 60,000 people on the waiting list for NSW public housing

He was once a high-flying banker, but his life began to unravel when he lost his job in the global financial crisis and now he struggles to find the money to provide for the basics for his 10-year-old daughter Kali.

"I was at the top of the tree," Mr Boyd said.

"I was wining and dining and had the beautiful house on the beach, half a million dollars in the bank and now I'm at the opposite end of the scale.

"I've lost everything and now I'm struggling to make ends meet, I don't know where my next meal will come from."

Nearly three quarters of Mr Boyd's Centrelink payments are swallowed up paying the rent on the cramped two-bedroom flat he shares with his daughter in Penshurst in Sydney's south.

He is left with just under $300 a fortnight to cover food, bills and medical expenses for both of them.

Kali has eczema but her serums and oils are unsubsidised as they are non-prescription.

"I'm concerned to be able to feed my daughter … and I live for her, if I didn't have her I wouldn't have kept going."

The peak body's chief executive Joanna Quilty says a swathe of NSW campaign promises aimed at addressing voters' concerns about the cost of living don't do much for those who need help the most.

"I think there is a focus on middle-income families and that is fair enough, but I think it's those who are in low-income households who are really struggling, who aren't as vocal, who are really being overlooked," she said.

NSW economy booming but public housing lacking

There are 3 million people in Australia living below the poverty line, according to a 2018 Poverty in Australia report released by the Australian Council of Social Services and the University of NSW.

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There were 60,000 people waiting for public housing in NSW at the end of the last financial year, and Ms Quilty urged the State Government to take more action on the cost of Sydney's housing.

"We know that the majority of people that are living below the poverty line are renting and really struggle to find affordable accommodation.

"There needs to be a significant boost in investment towards social and affordable housing. We certainly have a really strong economy and we're in a good position so I think there's no excuse for leaving these people behind."

Ms Quilty says the Federal Government also has the power to make a difference by increasing social security payments like Newstart and Youth Allowance.

"Because the rate that they're set at, at the moment, is actually below the poverty line, so people on those allowances are actually behind the eight ball from the start," Ms Quilty said.

The State Government is in the process of rolling out the second phase of its $1.1 billion Social and Affordable Housing Fund, which aims to deliver thousands of social and affordable homes across NSW.

The State Opposition is promising to introduce a 25 per cent affordable housing target for every new residential development built on state-owned land, with a 15 per cent target for developments on private land.

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